Field
Embodiments described herein generally relate to collector compositions and methods for making and using same to purify one or more crude materials. More particularly, such embodiments relate to collector compositions that can include one or more amidoamines and one or more amines.
Description of the Related Art
Froth flotation is a physiochemical mineral concentration method that uses the natural and created differences in the hydrophobicity of the minerals to be separated from aqueous slurries. To enhance an existing or to create new water repellencies on the surface of the minerals, certain heteropolar or nonpolar chemicals called collectors are added to an aqueous slurry containing the minerals to be separated or purified. These collectors are designed to selectively attach to one or more of the minerals to be separated, forming a hydrophobic monolayer on their surfaces. The formation of the hydrophobic monolayer makes the minerals more likely to attach to air bubbles upon collision. The mass of the combined air bubble/mineral particles is less dense than the displaced mass of the aqueous slurry, which causes the air bubble/mineral particles to float to the surface where they form a mineral-rich froth that can be skimmed off from the flotation unit, while the other minerals remain submerged in the pulp. The flotation of minerals with a negative surface charge, such as silica, silicates, feldspar, mica, clays, chrysocola, potash and others, from an aqueous slurry can be achieved using cationic collectors.
In reverse flotation, impurities are floated out of and away from the unpurified or crude materials to be beneficiated or otherwise purified. In particular, phosphate minerals, iron ore, copper ores, calcium carbonate, feldspar, and other minerals and/or ores are frequently beneficiated by reverse flotation. In many cases, minerals containing silicate are the main components of these impurities which cause quality reductions in the end product. The minerals containing silicate include quartz, mica, feldspar, muscovite, and biotite. A high silicate content lowers the quality of iron ore concentrate, which can be purified via flotation using collectors so that high-grade steels can be produced from the low-silicate concentrate. Conventional collectors for silicate flotation, however, exhibit inadequate results with respect to selectivity and yield.
There is a need, therefore, for improved collector compositions and methods for making and using same in flotation processes.